Jared took Sara where he and his father had been repairing the fence line. There were still a few weak posts, so he said his father probably would keep the horses in the pasture closer to the barn instead of letting them into the northern range.
They stopped on a high ridge. He scanned the desert with a pair of binoculars. He sat back on his bike and passed them to Sara. “I don’t like this.”
“Did you see anything?”
“No, that’s what bothers me.” He scanned the country again with his natural eyes. “I suppose Satan could’ve found a herd of mustangs and ran off with them.” Jared turned to her. “Did Myra tell you Satan was a wild mustang?”
“She mentioned it, but she never told me the whole story.”
Jared sighed. “Dad and Granddad were out, scouting for mountain lions, when they came across the half-eaten corpse of a horse. Lying next to it was a colt - couldn’t have been over two or three weeks old. They thought it was dead too, but when they checked, it was still breathing, barely.”
“Poor thing,” she said.
“Granddad gave it some water from his canteen. Dad wanted to put it out of its misery, but he wouldn’t let him. He cradled the colt in his arms, and they rode back to the house. Neither held much hope for the little guy. Mother put him on one of Grandmother’s handwoven blankets, out on the patio. The colt was so dehydrated and weak, he wouldn’t even eat.”
He softly smiled, remembering. “When they told me about him, I tried to get him to drink or eat something. Mother thinned out some cornmeal mush with cow’s milk and put it in a bottle, used to feed calves. She’d hoped the mixture might give him a little strength since he was so near gone. Every time I tried to give him the bottle, he laid his head on his back. We all expected him to die. Even Granddad had given up hope. He said if it hadn’t improved by morning, he would put it out of its misery.”
Jared paused and sighed. “Myra begged for the colt. She promised to take care of it. Dad finally gave in, but made her promise she would be responsible for it, which included putting it down if necessary.”
He rubbed his hands together to get rid of some of the dust. “I decided if the little guy had to be put down, I’d do it. I knew it would be too hard for her – despite the promise she’d made. The colt responded to her, almost as though he were waiting for her. As if their paths had crossed for a reason.”
Sara cocked her head. “So it ate for Myra, but, not for you or your grandfather?”
“Yes. She force fed it fresh cow’s milk. What little she got down him gave him the scours, and he nearly died from that. Finally, she kept working with him, and he got better. He’s Angelstar’s sire, by the way. She’s gonna be a little rascal. She has her father’s fiery spirit.”
Jared kissed her. “Anyway, now you know the story of Satan.” He put his helmet on. “We’ll go a little further out into the desert, closer to where the mustangs range and look for tracks.”
“If he’s running with the mustangs, how can you tell his tracks from theirs?”
“Easy,” he smiled. “Our horses are shoed. The tracks are different. Besides, Granddad taught me how to tell one horse’s tracks from another’s. The differences are subtle, but they’re there if you know what to look for.”
Sara couldn’t understand why, but her gut told her today would end in heartache and tears for Myra. A strange foreboding feeling hung on the breeze. Jared hadn’t said anything, but he’d felt it too. There was sadness in his voice.
~ ~ ~
Minutes later, Jared stopped on another high ridge and scanned the area again. His shoulders sagged. “Oh, no,” he exhaled and lowered his binoculars.
“What is it?”
“Hopefully not what I think it is.” He pointed. “There’s a flock of vultures circling over there.”
Sara looked but couldn’t see anything. Maybe it was too far away or she needed to have her eyes checked. She shielded them with her hand. “Where, Jared?”
“We’re going down a rough area. Hang on.” The front of the bike dropped. He weaved his way down a faded path to the bottom of the valley. He stopped about twenty feet from the gathering vultures. He handed her his helmet. “Stay here. You don’t need to see this.”
Jared took his rifle from his saddlebag, aimed it skyward and fired off a few rounds. The birds rose off the ground like a thick black cape. Sara sat patiently waiting.
~ ~ ~
He came back. “It’s him,” he said and swallowed the lump in his throat.
Poor Myra. “What happened?”
“I don’t know for sure, but Dad needs to see this. He jumped on the bike, and they climbed back up the ridge. He swiped his phone. “Dad, it’s me. We’re about five miles west of the north ridge. Yeah, we found him,” he exhaled. “I want you to see this first, but it looks like anthrax. No. They were swarming overhead and beginning to gather. I ran them off. We’ll stand guard and make sure nothing gets to the carcass. In case it is anthrax, it might be an idea to get Leo and,” he broke off. “Really? Alright, we’ll see you in a few. Well, not entirely, but I’m pretty sure. Right. We will.”
Sara’s heart began to pound. “I’ve heard, in its airborne form, anthrax is dangerously contagious.”
Jared read the concern on her face. He circled her waist and pulled her close. “I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen this before. I was careful not to touch anything, angel. It might not be anthrax. We’ll have to wait and see. Dad’s bringing Leo, our local vet, with him.” He put on his helmet. “We need to keep the vultures from picking at the carcass.”
“They haven’t already?”
“No, but they were getting ready to feast, talk about timing.”
“If it is anthrax, won’t they spread it?”
“No, but it can be spread by the other animals, especially coyotes. If they catch the scent of a decaying carcass, they’ll search for it. They’re scavengers. Unlike vultures, their digestive system doesn’t destroy the anthrax bacteria. Once my father and Leo get here, we’ll destroy the carcass if that’s what it is.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Unfortunately, the rest of the herd will need to be tested. They might have to be put down… to keep it from spreading.”
“All of them?” Sara gasped. That would mean the whole herd, including Jade and Angelstar!
He forced his breath out. “Yes, Sara. I’m afraid if they test positive, the entire herd, including Jade and Angelstar. All of them would have to be destroyed.”
Sara’s eyes glossed. “No!”
Jared held her. “I’m sorry. I know how much you love Angelstar and Jade. Satan sired Angelstar, which makes it worse. If we lose her, we lose his bloodline.”
~ ~ ~
They rode back down the ridge, closer to where the horse’s carcass laid, drying and decaying in the Arizona sun. Jared broke off some branches from a desert ironwood, gathered some dry straw and built small fires around it to prevent the vultures from landing again.
He drove the bike a safe distance away and parked in the shadow of a giant saguaro cactus. He told Sara the cactus was ancient, because of the number of side arms it had grown. Apparently, saguaros can take up to 75 years to form a single arm. This one had several, which meant it could be hundreds of years old.
She didn’t care how old it was. She was glad it had loaned them its silhouette against the unbearable heat. By the prickling feeling on the back of her neck, if it hadn’t been for the cactus, she would be severely sunburned.
Since they’d followed trails, the 4x4 couldn’t, it would take Tom and Leo a while to reach them. Jared and Sara decided to eat their roast beef sandwiches before they spoiled. Because of the heat, they tasted as though they’d been microwaved. The iced tea helped to wash down some of the desert dust and cool their parched throats.
Jared saturated his bandana and handed it to her. “Your face looks a little red. Wipe it with this. You’re not getting a headache or feeling dizzy, are you?”
She smiled and squeezed it over her head, relishing the water as it fell like raindrops on her face. Her skin absorbed them, almost as fast as the desert drank the excess water splattering on the sand. “I’ve got a mild headache, probably from the constant rumbling of the bike, I’m not used to that.”
He touched the back of his hand to her forehead. “Are you sure?”
“Jared, I’m fine,” she sighed. “I’m tougher than I look!”
“Alright,” he frowned, “but if you start feeling dizzy, coyotes or no coyotes, we’re going back.”
Sara nodded. She frowned, glanced at him and looked away. She sighed deeply. Jared watched her with curious eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
“On my mind? Nothing,” she answered quickly. “Why?”
“You look as though you wanna ask me something.” He brushed the back of his fingers down the side of her face and smiled. “You can ask me anything, and if it’s something I can tell you, I will tell you the truth.”
She grinned and dipped her chin. “I’m curious. What’s a mirage? Are they real or do they only happen in the movies?”
“Is that all?” he laughed.
“See,” she snorted. “That’s why I hadn’t said anything. I figured you would laugh at me – forget it!” She turned away. He laughed again. She glanced over her shoulder and turned away again. “See, you’re still doing it.”
He cradled her face in his hands. She glared at him. Jared sighed. “Sara, I wasn’t laughing at your question. I was laughing because I’m relieved. I was afraid you were gonna ask me something I couldn’t tell you or shouldn’t tell you. It’s hard for me to deny you anything,” he whispered. Sara flicked her gaze at him, narrowed her eyes and looked away. He smirked and kissed her until she stopped resisting.
“You don’t fight fair,” she gasped.
Jared grinned temptingly. “All’s fair in love and war, angel.” He kissed her again, molding his lips to hers. Her entire body tingled. She was more than a willing participant, almost as demanding. He teased her lips apart with his tongue and took possession of her mouth, mingling his hot breath with hers. He pressed his forehead to hers. “Sara, unless we wanna be caught with our pants down, we need to cool it a little. Dad’s on his way out here, remember?”
Her head was back, her eyes were closed. She was too dazed to comprehend what he was saying. As always, his kiss teased her and left her wanting more.
“This is not a rejection,” he said and kissed the end of her nose. “It’s a postponement.”
Sara sighed, disappointedly. “It won’t make a lot of difference in this heat, but I’ll give you a rain check.” She smiled alluringly and traced his lip with her fingers, teasing him.
Jared groaned and rubbed his body against hers. “You certainly can have a play on words sometimes, squaw. Keep this up, when I use my rain check - you’ll pay dearly.”
“Jared?” she shyly prompted.
“Hmm?”
“Since we’ve accomplished what we came out here to do, does that mean we won’t be spending the night under the stars?”
He grinned; an evil gleam glowed in his amber eyes. “Not necessarily.”
“Sometimes your eyes remind me of glowing stars,” she smiled.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, sounding embarrassed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Better?”
Sara wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and kissed him thoroughly. She studied his glowing crimson eyes. “You’re determined to get me into trouble, aren’t you?” He stood.
She held her hands up in mock defeat and tilted her head, innocently. “Me?”
Jared looked down at her, smiled and shook his head. “Stay in the shade. If it moves, you move. I’ll be right back.”
The fires began to die down. He added more wood and straw to keep them going while they waited for Tom and Leo. He tethered the pup tent to his bike and the cactus and made a temporary shelter from the sun. He sat on the blanket and leaned his back against his bike. Sara rested her head on his shoulder. Soon they fell fast asleep.
~ ~ ~
They were awakened by cold water, poured over their heads. Jared jumped up, sputtered and said something in Navajo. From the tone of his voice, she guessed they weren’t words of appreciation. She opened her eyes wide and tried to perceive the source of the flash flood. There was laughter overhead. “Dad!” Jared grumbled and wiped his face on the front of his shirt. “That was mean!”
Tom and Leo chuckled. “That’ll teach you not to go to sleep in the desert in the middle of the day. He paused. “Leo, you remember my son Jared?”
“Of course,” he said and shook his hand.
“This is his fiancée, Sara Foster.” Tom smiled proudly. “Sara, this is Leo Lonebear, our local vet.”
She stood, dusted her hands on the front of her jeans, and shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
He tipped his hat. “Likewise,” he said and scrutinized her. “You’re not the Sara Foster I’ve been hearing on our local radio station, are you?”
Her cheeks showed some color. She hadn’t been aware her song had been played on the radio, especially not all the way down here. She didn’t know how to react. She looked at Jared, who smiled. “Yeah, Leo, it’s her.”
“Wow! I didn’t expect to see you out here like this. Celebrities don’t usually rub elbows with us common folk,” he said and winked at Jared.
She tucked her chin and softly cleared her throat. “I’m not a celebrity.”
“Sure you’re not,” he snorted dubiously. “I’ll bet if you turn the radio on, it won’t be thirty minutes before they’ll be playing your song again.”
“Let’s see,” Jared said and switched on his bike radio.
The DJ read the news and the local forecast. Apparently it would be hot and dry. Then he started talking about the upcoming Country Music Convention.
“I don’t usually do this, but I’ve had to eat my words. I said I would never spin a country song on my show, but we’ve got such a response, both from the website and texts, you guys are leaving me no choice. Between hearing this little Louisiana gal strut her stuff and being staked in the desert- bring on the ketchup – I’ll eat my words,” he laughed.
“Sara’s been burning up the country and western charts from Arkansas, all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah, maybe even further. Fans are hounding me, wanting to know where they can buy her music. Well, guys, for the moment, her CD isn’t on the market.
The story goes like this. Myra Thundercloud acquired a personal copy from her brother and passed it to someone at the university where she’s attending. They passed it to a friend, and so on until it spread over the entire state. I promise, as soon as Sara releases something, you’ll be the first to know, so try and be patient.
Sara Foster, native of a small town in central Louisiana, called Crooked Creek, who recently turned eighteen and completed her high-school education this past summer, apparently just made a move to Shreveport, Louisiana, about a hundred or so miles north of her hometown, to live with her aunt Lucy.
Shortly after her arrival, she met our own Jared Thundercloud of Raging Storm, and the rest is history. So, boys, if you’ve had your eye set on Sara, I’m afraid she’s already taken, and if you don’t wanna lose your scalp, you’ll look elsewhere.”
“Damn straight!” Jared said and smiled at Sara.
“Anyway, Sara and Raging Storm will be performing in the upcoming Country Convention, in Wickenburg in a few weeks, so get your tickets reserved. Rumor is they’re going like wildfire this year, thanks to Sara. So, if you wanna see her, along with the rest of the Thunderclouds and the other artists performing this year, get off your cans. Without further interruptions, let’s give her a listen for about the fourth time today. It’s Sara Foster with ‘Voices’.”
Leo laughed. “See what I mean. Girl, you’re already famous. You better get yourself an agent.”
“No, thanks,” she said and looked at Jared. “I’ve got one.”
Leo grabbed his case from the back of the 4x4. “Well, I dread this, but, we better get down there and get it over with.” He handed Tom and Jared a pair of latex gloves, and a surgical mask. “These may not be necessary, but we’ll know soon enough.”
“Jared, grab the can of gas,” Tom said.
“You stay under the cover, and outta the sun!”
Sara pouted. Jared smiled, touched her face and gently pressed his lips to hers. “I won’t be gone long, I promise.” His eyes gave off a warm amber glow. He noticed Sara looking at him warily. He frowned. Sara bit her lower lip and motioned to his eyes. “Oh – oops!” he chuckled. “Gone?” He leaned in to kiss her.
Sara put her hand up. “Yes, but you better go before you start looking like a lighthouse.”
He smiled, put on his surgical mask and ran after Leo and Tom.
~ ~ ~
Sara waited under her makeshift tent, impatiently playing with an ant on the stem of a cactus blossom. It was assiduously trying to get to the blossom, but had found it difficult, because of her childish interferences. She allowed it to get the sweet taste of the nectar within its grasp, only to turn the stem the other way around, forcing it to go all the way to the other end of the stem before it realized it had missed its mark, again. She’d done this so many times now, she was sure the ant was either dizzy or had downright given up. He stopped, halfway and sat there as if thinking, ‘Stupid human. If I get a chance, I’ll show you some manners!’
She got bored and tossed the flower. When she saw rolls of black smoke rising above the carcass, she assumed the worst. She nibbled her bottom lip and wondered. If it hadn’t been anthrax, would they have burned the carcass anyway or left it for the scavengers to finish off? Considering it was Myra’s pride and joy, Sara doubted they would leave it.
~ ~ ~
Minutes later, the men had approached. They were talking to each other, but Sara couldn’t understand what they were saying.